Cinemas

ON SCREEN

Re-taxes

A prefect, a sub-prefect can practice the arbitrary, even the absurd, even the illegal, without harming him otherwise. Both have at their disposal too many decrees, orders, and ordinances not to find in this series of paperwork some formula, some article justifying fantasy, stupidity or abuse of official power.

When the blunder is too strong, the excess too broad, the person who is the victim protests. He finds echo, compassion, protest in the press. The senior official scoffs, shrugs his shoulders and moves on to a new type of exercise, or even to a higher rank in the administration or in the Legion of Honor. Have we not decorated Barnier? You know, this Barnier who, in the Var, tracks down cinema directors, claims to impose his personal censorship on them, without wanting to take into account the government and official approval given to films by the Ministry of Fine Arts.

But let's leave this provincial tyrant to deal with some of his lesser peers, the mayors and their advisors. These good people are having difficulty balancing the municipal budget. Who will provide them with the necessary resources? Certainly not cafes, ballrooms and other... electoral establishments. The theater, no more: mayor, deputies and other city councilors, their ladies too, have free tickets.

But there is cinema, it is there for one thing, that of Father François. The State imposed an enormous tax on him; he willingly acquits it although he seems to be reluctant and to appeal to the senators and deputies through the organ of all his corporate groups.

Come on then! cinema is extremely rich; he spends millions on a single film that millions of spectators will see. The cinema, this lucky guy, hoards. With nothing, a lantern and a roll of film, his business was set up; it works at almost no cost... He plays up to three times a day... what a cake that represents! He can, he must pay. Let's hit it!

And we hit! 8, 10, 12, 14 percent, just for the municipality. “Let’s sweeten ourselves,” says the commune. “But the State is already dirtying us so hard,” replies the unfortunate director. “I don’t care,” the mayor concludes in his bias.

This is why, this is how the establishments of Boulogne-sur-Mer closed their doors... This is why, in a few days, those of Levallois will be forced to imitate them.

The staff will be unemployed, the public without healthy entertainment, the directors prepared for bankruptcy, the State injured in its financial revenues... so will the municipality... “What does it matter! » said the latter... Think, Mr. Mayor.

J.-L. Croze.